By Jon Johnson
PHOENIX – With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Ciscomani leads Kirsten Engel by 7,902 votes as of Thursday morning and has won re-election for his sophomore season as U.S. Representative for District 6. The Associated Press has called the race for Ciscomani, who led with 207,375 votes to 199,473 for Engel as of Thursday morning.
With Ciscomani’s win this election, the state’s House delegation is unchanged with six Republicans and three Democrats. His district includes Graham, Greenlee, and Cochise counties, and parts of Pima, and Pinal counties.
“Now, it is time to get to work,” Ciscomani said in a statement Wednesday after Engel called him to concede. “Our country is facing big challenges and I am ready to continue tackling these issues head-on. Our top priorities — securing our border, lowering costs, and ensuring that our veterans and seniors are protected and valued — are essential to the strength and stability of our district and country. Strengthening our water infrastructure is vital to Arizona’s future, and I’ll work tirelessly to ensure that our resources support growth and opportunity for future generations.”
“The American Dream is a promise that every American deserves a fair shot at building a better life. As I return to Washington, I promise to bring the voice of Arizona’s 6th District with me and to work across the aisle to keep that dream within reach for Arizonans.”
On a county-by-county breakdown, Ciscomani won Graham County by 7,663 votes – roughly the amount of votes he currently tops Engel.
Ciscomani also won Greenlee County by 1,118 votes, and Pinal County by 5,102 votes, while leading in Cochise County by 12,568 votes.
The only county that voted in favor of Engel was Pima County, where she currently has an 18,549 vote edge there. The lead in the urban area was not enough to carry her over the results of the surrounding three counties and the parts of Pinal County. Ciscomani won Cochise and Greenlee counties by about a 2 to 1 margin, but he won Graham County by about a 4 to 1 margin.
Ciscomani has been very active in Graham County and has visited the area numerous times while also procuring millions of dollars in infrastructure funds, including $1 million in funds to help facilitate the new road and traffic light for the new Pima High School at Highway 70 and 200 East. That was made possible through the House’s Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development package. The package also approved $1.9 million for the town of Duncan to repave more than 4,000 feet on Main Street and High Street in Duncan – which have not been properly repaired in 45 years, according to Ciscomani’s office.
He also got $1.2 million for Graham County to update its water and sewer lines as part of the House Appropriations Committee’s package for Interior and Environment in Fiscal Year 2025.
In addition to the award to Graham County, his other water-related funding requests approved in the package include nearly $1 million to the city of Tombstone to replace its water reclamation facility, $2.25 million to the town of Marana to improve source water systems at the Marana Regional Airport, $1.75 million for the town of Marana to design and construct a new groundwater treatment facility, and $1.75 million to the city of Tucson to connect two reclamation facilities to maximize the city’s retention and reuse of the local water supply.
Ciscomani previously earmarked $26 million in projects for Southern Arizona during Fiscal Year 2024, including $2 million in funding for Pima’s new fire station. That funding was approved in March when the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed a package that included 13 projects recommended by Ciscomani. Out of those 13 projects approved by the Committee, three are going to Graham and Greenlee counties with the $2 million for Pima’s fire station; $1.3 million for the Graham County Gila River Linear Park and Trail Project, and $274,00 for the town of Duncan and Hunter Estates Drainage Mitigation and Design in Duncan. Ciscomani also got $859,000 for Northern Cochise County Community Hospital in Willcox.
Engel wrote on the social platform X, “The voters have made their decision and we must respect it – I will not be the next Representative for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. While we came up short, I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve put in.”
Ciscomani won his first term in 2022 when he beat Engel by over 5,200 votes.
